7 yıl önce

Hardline Hindu politician takes helm in India's Uttar Pradesh

Critics see the elevation of a firebrand Hindu politician to the position of chief minister in India's most populous state as a move by Prime Minister Narendra Modi towards redefining the world's largest democracy as a Hindu nation.

Staff Reporter

TRT World and Agencies

Sate legislators elected Yogi Adityanath, 44, chief minister, a week after the BJP won a landslide victory in Uttar Pradesh.

Yogi Adityanath is a firebrand Hindu leader with a history of agitation against minority Muslims in India. On Sunday, he was sworn in as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state.

Critics see the move as a shift by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that could redefine the world's largest democracy as a Hindu nation.

A spokesman for Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) however said the government did not make any distinction between citizens on the basis of religion.

Adityanath, 44, was elected by state lawmakers on Saturday, a week after the BJP won a landslide victory in Uttar Pradesh by mobilising the Hindu vote.

After the ceremony, Modi said "Our sole mission and motive is development. When UP [Uttar Pradesh] develops, India develops."

TRT World 's Shamim Chowdhury has more.